Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)

Escape to Witch Mountain (Dir: John Hough, 1975).

A family friendly, sci-fi suspense from Walt Disney Productions. Based upon the 1968 novel by Alexander Key. 

Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and Tia Malone (Kim Richards) are two orphaned kids with ESP. Where they got their powers and where they come from is a mystery but makes them outcasts among their peers in the children’s home. Their powers attract unwanted attention from powerful but crooked businessman Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland) and his assistant Lucas Deranian (Donald Pleasence). Posing as the Malones’ uncle, Deranian adopts the pair with the intention of exploiting them. Escaping from the clutches of Bolt and Deranian the kids stowaway aboard the motor home of curmudgeonly widower Jason O’Day (Eddie Albert) who eventually warms to them and agrees to take them to Witch Mountain, a mysterious place which is somehow connected to Tony and Tia’s past. 

The Disney live-action movies of the 1970s were often met with derision from critics and apathy from audiences. Without the guidance of company founder Walt Disney, the studio's output was becoming increasingly formulaic. Budget cuts were also noticeably taken their toll on the once polished Disney product. In the studio's history, this era is the one often regarded as a 'dark age'. Yet, the more I watch of the studio's 1970s movies, the more I feel the era is deserving of reassessment. There are some gems to be found in the back catalogue, including this excellent science fiction adventure. 

Something of a departure for both Disney and director John Hough; Escape to Witch Mountain is an intelligent, serious minded sci-fi with genuine moments of suspense. Disney had delved into the sci-fi market in the past, resulting in fantasy comedies such as The Absent-Minded Professor (Robert Stevenson, 1961) and Moon Pilot (James Neilson, 1962). ...Witch Mountain was something entirely different. Certainly there were moments of levity among the dramatics but this is no comedy and only in the final reel does the movie resort to the type of broad slapstick which gave Disney movies of the era a bad name. 

Previously associated with horror movies such as Twins of Evil (J Hough, 1971) and The Legend of Hell House (J Hough, 1973) director Hough seems an unlikely choice for the material but creates a tremendously atmospheric film and displays a steady hand as the action moves from sci-fi fantasy to mystery to cross-country (or at least cross-California) chase movie. The pacing is exemplary, with the children’s backstory and the reason for their powers revealed slowly to the audience as scraps of memories and hazy flashbacks are recalled onscreen. There are some genuine thrills as the pair escape Bolt and evade the authorities in their attempt to reach the titular mount. Darker moments are levitated by modest yet effective special effects and some animal action which should please younger audience members. Only in the final showdown between the kids and Bolt does the feature suffer from a somewhat jarring change of tone as it becomes markedly more comic and whimsical. However, this more typically Disney climax is a small concession to a movie otherwise distinguished by a darker tone than was usually associated with the studio. 

The film also benefits from a top quality cast. Ray Milland's pantomimic performance of baddie Bolt is contrasted nicely by Donald Pleasence's more nuanced and sinister performance as the seemingly benevolent Uncle Lucas. Eddie Albert is appealing as the gruff yet warm-hearted loner who takes the children under his wing and into his Winnebago. 

Cute kids are kind of a prerequisite in 70s Disney and Kim Richards, already familiar from TV’s Nanny and the Professor (1972-1973) and Ike Eisenmann certainly fit the mould. Not that this undermines their assured performances which match those of the seasoned adults. Their similarity in appearance, coupled with an appealing chemistry lends an authenticity to the portrayal of onscreen siblings; while their blonde hair and blue eye evoke memories of the decidedly more sinister ‘outsider’ kids of classic sci-fi shocker Village of the Damned (Wolf Rilla, 1960). 

Escape to Witch Mountain would provide Disney with a rare artistic and commercial success in a largely critically reviled era. Two further theatrical films would follow: Return to Witch Mountain (John Hough, 1978) and Race to Witch Mountain (Andy Fickman, 2009), plus the television outings Beyond Witch Mountain (Robert Day, 1982) and a radically re-worked remake Escape to Witch Mountain (Peter Rader, 1995). All are recommended viewing, but none quite top the appeal of the original. 

In Escape to Witch Mountain, Disney and Hough have crafted an exciting and intelligent sci-fi adventure that easily holds its own against the studio’s more polished productions. The movie still ranks among the very best of the Disney Studios’ live-action movies; a classic equally enjoyable for kids and grown-ups.